There is a multitude of products in the market utilized by building and plumbing contractors for bracing and supporting pipes, ducts, sprinkler systems, or other types of service pipes from ceilings, walls, or and beams. These products include clamps, braces, hooks, straps, plates, brackets, among other items. There are various types of braces, for example, pipes, channels and angle irons, with pipes being the most commonly used. Typically, one end of a bracing pipe is connected to a ceiling, a wall, or a beam. The other end of the bracing pipe is attached to the service pipe utilizing, for example, a clamp or a bracket securing the service pipe to a side of the bracing pipe.
The manner of this connection between the service pipe and the bracing pipe and the components used are important in determining not only the load-carrying capacity of the brace but also influence the time and labor expended in installing the brace.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.